Today's guest post is from Edith Lee-Payne. The dedication of the Martin Luther King, Jr., memorial will take place this Sunday, October 16. One of the women in attendence will be Edith Lee-Payne. You might recognize her. Photographer Rowland Scherman snapped a photo of Edith, then a 12-year-old girl with her mother, holding a banner at the March on … Continue reading Finding the girl in the photograph
Eleanor Roosevelt was born on October 11, 1884. She was the niece of former President Theodore Roosevelt, and later became the wife of future President Franklin D. Roosevelt (her fifth cousin). She is known for her role as First Lady during the Great Depression and World War II. She was the first woman in that … Continue reading Eleanor Roosevelt, what’s in your wallet?
Since it's fall and October, our thoughts naturally turned to Oktoberfest as a possible topic for What's Cooking Wednesdays. However, one too many encounters with Upton Sinclair's letter to President Teddy Roosevelt about the working conditions in meat factories had us avoiding the bratwurst. And, apparently, drinking beer in the office is hugely frowned upon by the management. So … Continue reading What’s Cooking Wednesdays: The case of the buttered pretzel
Today's guest post comes from Jennifer Audsley Moore, who is an archives technician and volunteer coordinator at the National Archives at Kansas City. Whale: It’s what’s for dinner. At least, that is how the U.S. Food Administration and U.S Bureau of Fisheries would have it. During World War I, the U.S. Food Administration was established … Continue reading What’s Cooking Wednesday: Whale Surprise!
This post is part of a series on September 11. As the nation's record keeper, the National Archives holds many documents related to the events of September 11. In this series, our staff share some of their memories of the day and their thoughts on the records that are part of their holdings. Today's blogger … Continue reading Ten years later: Handling 9/11 Commission records
Today's "What's Cooking Wednesdays" guest post comes from Kimberlee Ried, public programs specialist at the National Archives in Kansas City. Give me your tired, your poor, Your huddled masses, yearning to breath free, The wretched refuse of your teeming shore, Send these, the homeless, tempest tossed, I lift my lamp beside the golden door. These words, … Continue reading What’s Cooking Wednesdays: Canning for Victory!
Today's guest post for "What's Cooking Wednesdays" comes from Acting Director Patrick Connelly with Education Specialist Christopher Zarr of the National Archives at New York City. Sometimes walking down the stacks of the National Archives can be like walking down the aisles of your local supermarket. Names like Heinz, Anheuser-Busch, Hershey, Sara Lee, and Perrier line the shelves of the National Archives. … Continue reading Aunt Jemima, what took you so long?
Today's guest post is from Samuel Rushay, senior archivist at the Truman Presidential Library and Museum, who is featured in our newest "Inside the Vaults" video about the adventure of John Paton Davies. “…I stood in the open door of that miserable [C-46, Curtis] Commando and decided—`Well, if nobody else is going to jump, I’ll jump. … Continue reading Headhunters and diplomats in the Truman Library
“What’s Cooking, Uncle Sam?,” our current special exhibition in Washington, DC, examines the Government’s effect on what Americans eat. Government influence was especially visible during wartime, when many food products were reserved for feeding the troops and our Allies. During World War I, the U.S. Food Administration, headed by Herbert Hoover, urged the American people … Continue reading World War I food conservation: “Pan de la libertad”
Today's post comes from Gregory Marose, an intern in the National Archives Office of Strategy and Communications. UPDATE: Capone's criminal case file has been digitized and is now online. Al Capone—the quintessential American gangster—headed the nation’s most notorious organized crime syndicate for more than a decade during Prohibition. Through smuggling, bootlegging, and a variety of … Continue reading The Taxman Cometh: U.S. v. Alphonse Capone
